Half of Asia Pacific consumers would rather do almost anything else than contact customer service, a figure that rises to 63% in Singapore — the highest among the markets surveyed — according to new research from customer experience platform Genesys.

The findings come from the APAC edition of Genesys‘ State of Customer Experience 2026 report, now in its fifth year, which surveyed 1,426 consumers and 508 CX and business leaders across eight APAC markets. The research points to a growing disconnect between rising customer expectations and organisational readiness, as consumers increasingly expect faster, more personalised and more connected experiences.

Poor service carries a real revenue cost

The report found that 86% of respondents said poor customer service had caused them to spend less or stop doing business with a brand altogether, underlining the commercial stakes for organisations that fail to close the gap.

While 84% of consumers expect AI to improve the quality and speed of customer service, the report identified a significant execution gap: nearly half (46%) of organisations do not automatically pass customer information between virtual and human agents, forcing customers to repeat themselves as they move across channels.

Bridging the AI service gap

Genesys said the findings highlight the need for organisations to connect AI, data, channels and human support into a single, seamless journey rather than treating them as separate systems.

With Singapore recording the highest reluctance to contact customer service among the markets surveyed, the findings suggest local organisations face particular pressure to modernise service delivery as AI adoption accelerates across the region’s contact centres.